Student-Athlete of the Week: Nick Yard

Not many high school baseball pitchers have suffered the setbacks Nick Yard has experienced during his prep career. The recent Niwot High graduate has undergone not one, but two Tommy John surgeries over the past three years.

Following his freshman season in which he was second on the Cougars' varsity staff with 35 innings pitched, Yard braved his first Tommy John surgery in January of his sophomore year to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. He then fought back and pitched just one game his junior season before meeting further arm problems and requiring the surgery again.

Yard's senior campaign consisted of him being restricted to action as a designated hitter, although he snuck a few innings in at first base during Niwot's senior day on May 14.

Despite not being able to pitch, Yard remained positive and embraced the DH role for his final spring at Niwot.

"It really gave me a chance to have some fun, not feel too much pressure," said Yard, who hit .244 with 13 RBIs. "When I'm pitching and everything, that's my position - that's what I go out and do day in and day out, so you have that pressure. But when you're going out and hitting, that pressure is kind of off and everything, and you just have some fun. Mentally for me, it was a chance for me to go out and enjoy the game."

In addition to DHing, Yard's pitching wisdom was utilized heavily by head coach Ken Rosales.

"He had a great relationship with our other pitchers," Rosales said. "There was even a couple of times during a game (when) instead of us coaches going out to the mound, we'd send him out. He would talk with them and then he would get them straight and then go from there."

Coaching his first season at Niwot, Rosales added that he was grateful for Yard's "tremendous" leadership both on the field and in the dugout. Rosales said he'd even joke with Yard that he would put him on contract as a player-coach.

"Obviously, I don't know everything about the game, but I've been able to have a lot of experiences and learn a lot of stuff through pitching and both these surgeries," Yard said. "It's given me a chance to learn more about the game and really watch the game because that's what I've been doing for the past three years."

Yard is now looking for a chance to pitch at the college level. He had previously committed to South Carolina in 2019 but after further consideration, he withdrew from the Gamecocks in the fall. Currently, Yard said he's talking with a couple of smaller Division I programs and a few junior colleges.

But regaining his arm strength comes first.

"With my recovery and everything, I'm focusing on getting my strength back," Yard said. "I just started getting off the mound and everything, so I'm more focused on that than getting a little carried away with schools... Once the time is right, I'll know where I'm going for next year."